Al Borges Presser and Spring Practice
General
This is the most receptive of any group he's had coming in (at all 8 or 9 stops). It would be easy to say "we were good last year" on offense, and resist changing. It's an enthusiastic group in spite of all the changes they've been asked to make. It's easy to teach them, because they've bought in.
Shotgun - used quite a bit. "We're gonna gun more than we've ever gunned." [ed: w00t.] They've run plenty of shotgun in the past, but this will be more than that. Two-tights is part of the offense, but you'll see as much shotgun as you'd see from any NFL team, and a lot of the tight end in motion.
Haven't done a whole lot of stuff this year that he's never done. "We have more QB runs, but that aside, our offense is our offense, and we're going to gear what we do to what he's capable of doing."
"[Brady] wants to establish toughness, and he wants to establish effort. And you can't talk it: you've gotta do it." Defense and offense are geared to downhill running, coming off the ball, etc. "Not that we want to turn it into 'bull elk on bull elk' on every single play."
Offense install - "We are now at install 5 today. We have 6 installs of major pieces of our offense." They'll add 'frills,' e.g. screens, 2-minute, goal line, etc. as it goes. "We've gone slower here than I have other places, because I'm trying to give Coach Funk in particular, but everybody... a chance to review and install." They'll complete install 6, and have 4 or 5 practices to review it all. "That's about 60-70%" of everything that they'll do.
The end of spring and fall camp are different beasts. In fall, you have to figure out your starters, and get them ready to play, then focus on your first opponent. "Right now, it's just an audition." They'll have a depth chart out of spring "Like anything else, it'll be in pencil."
Defense - "I very seldom comment on the defense other than to say 'Greg Mattison is as good a defensive coach as you're ever gonna get, and he will get every ounce out of those kids.'"
There's always pressure to succeed, whether or not you have talent. "If you're gonna have pressure, it's better to have talent."
"Michigan is a special place. The walls talk to you here. You walk down the hall and you can feel it... I coached at Auburn where football was a big deal, and I loved Auburn. This is a little different."
Quarterbacks
Denard and Devin both excited about the change. Doing some "next-level oriented" things, and that's attractive to QBs. More effective in this offense? "We want to pose a balanced distribution of the ball in an aggressive style." The tailbacks will be more involved. That will sacrifice numbers for the QB, but he might be able to throw more effectively with a power running game. He also poses a threat in the passing game as a runner with his scrambling.
Drop mechanics are toughest for Denard - even though he was a dropback QB in high school. With footwork issues - the biggest change - he has really grasped that concept well. "He's still a work in progress, but he's done very well."
"You run for yards but you pass for miles," though Denard is a better checkdown as a runner than throwing to a checkdown receiver might be. "Make plays, and let the good lord make miracles." They want him to use good judgement, but they'll let the kid run. "You have to give him a chance to do what he does."
Who compares to Denard? "Michael Vick is similar. Yeah, he's the first one that comes to mind." Most comparable with speed and passing ability.
Anticipation throws: "That is what he's been doing very well." Good on timing routes and throwing before the breaks. "The guy's an accurate passer... When they guy's open, he's gonna hit him more often than not. When he isn't open open, [Denard] has a way to create... A good passing game, the ball's delivered as the receiver comes open in a manner and fashion that allows the receiver to run with the ball once he catches it."
Denard reading defenses: "He's a pretty good decision-maker." His struggles are more within the offense, not making reads. "He's not hitting defenders in the chest with the ball."
No designed QB runs in last year's SDSU offense, but with Denard's ability, they'll go back to Cade McNown plays, for example, when Borges did have designed QB runs. "More people are going to touch the ball, yet he is going to be the focal point of the offense." If he's more effective running than the backs, he'll be used more as a runner.
Denard came out of 10 games last year with injury, SDSU's Ryan Lindley didn't come out of a single game last year. If giving the RB the ball a bit more keeps Denard healthy, then that's good. The tailbacks have to be worthy of those carries.
"He poses the threat of a quarterback draw every play." Scrambling - "If you understand the footwork of our offense, that comes naturally." The guards set the depth of the pocket, and the tackles set the width. With only 4 rushers against 5 linemen, there should be scrambling lanes if necessary. "Certain quarterbacks will run 5 or 6 yards, he may run 55 yards." They tell Denard "don't turn down wide open receivers, but if they fall off, run like hell."
Devin competition - "Devin is formidable." He does some really good things. Has some of the same traits as Denard, but is a taller prototype with pocket passer height. Can work inside the pocket more easily, but he obviously isn't as fast as Denard. "You play or somebody replaces you. It's that simple." At this point, Denard is the starter, and there's no reason to believe he won't be in the fall - even though Devin is pushing him. "They're competing and I love it."
Planned playing time for backup QBs? "I would never say never, but it's never been my approach." Borges doesn't really believe in putting the backup in for a series every game or something.
Running Backs
"I've been happy with our tailbacks... We've had flashes of excellence from all of them, and [picking a starter]'s not a decision we have to make today." For one back to stand out, he'll have to be a complete player. "Block and protection, run the football, be consistent. The guy who demonstrates the most consistency is the guy who's gonna play."
"Vince Smith is a pure football player, I mean in every sense. He's coachable, tough, not real big obviously but I've had guys his size be very effective... Vince has a good football IQ. You tell him something, he understands what you're talking about, and he'll do it."
"Michael Cox has done some very nice things."
Michael Shaw just came back to padded practices (from a broken hand) and he's made some nice plays.
Who can be downhill RBs - "All of them really... Cox has done it, Shaw came back the other day and he did it, Stephen Hopkins is just that kind of runner, period." Hopkins is a lot like Atlanta RB Michael Turner. He is a hybrid RB/FB, and has done some nice things.
McColgan has done a great job leading the way for the backs. Not gonna show up in the scoresheet, but helps the running game.
Wide Receivers
"I think Roy's had a really good spring. All them, really. We've had some nice catches." Roundtree has been very consistent. Junior Hemingway is moving well, and has great range. Darryl Stonum has also played well. "Jeff Hecklinski does a nice job with those guys. He'll coach those suckers up." They're running more intermediate cut routes in this offense. "We throw it down the field a lot, but more intermediate cuts."
Gallon and Dileo, et al, role has not changed a whole lot. Odoms and Roundtree have played inside and outside. "We're not a spread team, but you're gonna see we're in 3 and 4 wides a lot now."
Tight Ends
TE position is similar to the FB - not heavily featured in the recent past, but they're catching more balls than they've caught in the past. "I'm a tight end guy."
Brandon Moore has been very effective. Steve Watson caught a TD pass the other day. "Steve's fired up."
"We've got some good people there, and I think when it's all said and done we'll be pretty good there." They will recruit tight ends heavily going forward.
Offensive Line
Injuries on the offensive line haven't affected installation too much. "We found a way to get 5 of them out there, and they haven't done a bad job." Some guys are having to learn multiple positions.
Lewan could be a good football player - needs to add weight, and work on some fundamental technique issues. He has the talent for a bright future.
"We're a downhill running team." Their scheme is geared to O-line getting off the ball and being aggressive. "We're in a 3-point stance and we're gonna do our best to move whoever's in front of us." It's different playing from the shotgun every snap.
Practice Photos and Video
Why does Taylor Lewan "need to add weight"? I don't recall him having any issues whatsoever blocking last season. Why would you want more weight than you need to do your job? Just to have it? It's not like he's 270. He was 294 last year, presumably more right now. Did he lose weight over the off-season?
trying really hard to find stuff to complain about huh? Dig a little deeper I suppose. Or take a step back and realize that a lot of this is coachspeak. That and the few tactical things mentioned all appear to be good for the returning O players: ie lots of shotgun
about the coachspeak. So why are we quoting it?
I'm not trying to do anything. I'm pointing out what I feel like pointing out. And I'm not going to repost what other people have already posted just because I also feel that way about whatever it is.
Because Lewan only weighed 284 lbs. at the start of spring practice. They want him around 300 lbs.
Also, Lewan DID NOT weigh 294 lbs. last year. His listed weight at the start of last season was incorrect.
Why? Considering his performance last year, saying he needs to gain weight just sounds arbitrary.
What are you talking about? The offensive line was okay last year, but, it was far from dominant. Lewan needs to get bigger and stronger, as do most of the linemen. That was the plan under RR & Barwis and that's still the plan for them under the new staff.
last year. I'd dare say it was the strongest unit on a near-great offense. But I'm talking about Taylor specifically because this article talks about Taylor specifically.
Yes, they were just okay last year, believe it or not. We didn't have much of a running game outside of Denard and that wasn't just the fault of our tailbacks.
280 lbs. is not big enough. Lewan has to get bigger and stronger.
the OL wasn't responsible for any of Denard's yards, but was responsible for holding the RBs back? Come on.
Stronger, absolutely. Stronger is better anywhere on the field. Bigger? Not necessarily.
The OL was a mixed bag last year. It was very athletic and terrific at getting to the second level, but it struggled to sustain blocks, especially in short-yardage situations. If we want to be able to better dominate the LOS, maybe the guys need a bit more bulk.
The added bulk will prevent Donkey-Rider from false-starting so much just due to the laws of physics in that it takes more force to move a larger object.
is kinda dumb. Koger and Webb caught 19 passes for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns last season. In 2007, Carson Butler, Mike Massey, and Chris McLaurin caught 25 passes for 295 yards and 2 touchdowns. That's not exactly a huge droppoff.
I'm not sure what it means when you say you've been using somebody more than they've been used in the recent past when you haven't played a game yet.
My advice: find a bottle filled with alcohol in any form. Then find another of the same and keep drinking until you are unable to type anymore.
The TE was a significant part of Michigan's offense IN CLUTCH SITUATIONS for years and years. While usage last year may have come close to 2007, the position had very little impact on the games. I'd also be curious to see if the 2007 numbers you dug up were an anomaly or if they were representative of TE usage from 1997-2007.
3rd and short? Goal-line? We had better options than the tight end in most of those situations. We will this year, too. We just won't use them.
Why do I say we have better options but won't use them? Because if I had to put my life on the line on a 3rd and 1 with the offensive personel we have, I'd bet on spreading the field with 4-5 wide and letting Denard run for that 1 yard. And I highly doubt that'll be the most-run 3rd and 1 play this season.
I agree that it won't be - and it shouldn't. We need other options on 3rd and short than asking our 193-lb. QB to pick it up. I'd like to see the guy stay healthy for 12 full games, not bits and pieces of them. I'm not sure how many guys his size have the durability to lug it around 20 times AND also throw accurately.
Unfortunately for the statgeeks out there, clutch can't be narrowed down to a specific down and distance nor is it captured by FEI. An 8 yard reception by the TE on a 3rd and 7 while protecting a 6 point lead with 3 minutes to go is clutch because it allows for valuable clock to run. A 1 yard touchdown reception on 4th and 1 in the first quarter is clutch because you've avoided an empty possession and momentum shift. Jereme Tuman embodied clutch, from his '98 Rose Bowl performance to his amazing role in the Iowa comeback that same season (also known as the best 30 minutes of Tim F'n Dwight's career).
Conversely, a 24 yard reception when the team is down by 35 in the fourth quarter is not clutch. I've had enough of the empty stats the last few years....I'm eagerly awaiting a return to the kingdom of clutchness that, with certain exceptions, Michigan largely made before 2008.
Your one year example is not one of strength. Koger alone is better than all those guys. Compare more to years where we had a really good TE (or in a few cases, great, which I don't think we're quite at...yet).
guys we all now that Kevin Koger is a beast,ALL BIG TEN first team this year.
To lock in this comment of genius.
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<br>But I said Koger compares well to some of our very good TEs, but not necessarily our greats. The guys he cherry picked from 2007 weren't even "very good". Adequate, maybe.
Dude, let it go. Rich isn't coming back.
Who said anything about Rich?
You're right. Every single one of your posts today has not been directly or indirectly defending the Rodriguez era.
Regardless of the directedness of his posts, you cannot argue with the point he made on a pure numbers basis alone.
So Gunderson and Ricardo Miller (!) doubled and erased Kenny Wilkins there. This is good for OT depth (Gunderson is only a RS So.), and for a player we all love who's moving to TE (Miller even chips off and puts a block on the LB - he's still skinny though)
Not so good for SDE depth.
Ash holds his point of attack well, as does QW. And JB Fitz puts a good lick on the OG (Pace, god love him for even being out there, seems to be struggling in the limited vids we've seen). Ryan attacks, but you're not blocking son - open that wingspan and wrap-up.
That DROB does not have to be a pocket passer. I think we will see a lot of shot gun where DROB will throw, run or quick hand-offs up the middle. It would be nice if one of our backs develop into that goto back and at times DROB could line up under center and hand-off to that go to back. It may give DROB some rest and prevent him from running nearly every play. At least it sounds like Borges will be more open minded about the offense.
completly agree with your thinking.
I get goose bumps. Cant' wait to see these guys come Fall. The new system will take some getting used to for these guys but they can do it and beat the likes of State and OSU.
And those are the only tea leaves we have to read, so there you go. At this point, all we can say is "it sounds promising, doesn't it?"
"Michael Cox has done some very nice things."
"Who can be downhill RBs - "All of them really... Cox has done it"
Mike Cox will start at RB in the Fall. (It's just too easy)
is going to recognize that Denard Robinson is a nuclear mushroom cloud compared to the Cade McNown firecracker.
I simply don't get Borges' frequent references to Cade McNown. Yes, McNown still is the No. 1 passer in UCLA history, but that's because UCLA had tailbacks like Skip Hicks and a young Deshaun Foster scarying the beejesus shit out of people either off-tackle or on ridiculous 70 yard screen catches for six points on a stupid 1st down. Just look at McNown's stats will you? Borges joined UCLA in 1996 as OC (McNown's sophomore year):
Rushing Stats Cade McNown
1995 (Fr): 71 att, 311 yards, 5 TDs
1996 (So): 88 att, 223 yards, 4 TDs
1997: (Jr.): 79 att, 237 yards, 4 TDs
1998: (Sr.) 75 att, 182 yards, 3 TDs
Is this jawdropping? 70+ QB rushing attempts for a QB must seem absurd for a Bill Walsh-West Coast offense minister. And positive rushing yards for a QB over 11-12 games? Preposterous! Designed QB runs. Yeah right. McNown was running for his life.
As for passing, the first 2 years McNown was basically UCLA's own version of a less accurate but equally delightful/horrifying Freshman Tate Forcier. Then McNown became a junior and WR Danny Farmer exploded.
Passing Stats Cade McNown
1995 (Fr): 122 comp, 244 att, 49.8%, 1,698 yrds, 7 TD, 8 INT
1996: (So.): 176 comp, 336 att, 52.4%, 2,424 yrds, 12 TD, 16 INT
1997: (Jr.): 189 comp, 312 att, 60.6%, 3,116 yrds, 24 TD, 6 INT
1998: (Sr.): 207 comp, 357 att, 58%, 3,470 yrds, 25 TD, 11 INT
I don't know man. Denard is going to be way different for Borges in terms of the run threat, like to the eleventy billionth power. I also think Denard will be a more accurate passer than McNown EVER was.
One things for sure, Michigan reallyneeds to find it's own iteration of Skip Hicks. If they ever do, then holy shit....
post like this gets negged. WTF. If you disagree, REPLY, convince us with your own football acumen. . . noodle.
we have a very legitiment TE in K.Koger, maybe nfl talent....great blocker with sure hands. I hope the QB's start looking for him!
"Michigan is a special place. The walls talk to you here. You walk down the hall and you can feel it... I coached at Auburn where football was a big deal, and I loved Auburn. This is a little different."
Borges gets it. Mattison and Hoke definitely get it. As mad as I was during the Freep fiasco, and regardless of whether you agree with the merits of such a standard against newcomers, all three appear to konw what Bo meant when he said "A Michigan Man will coach Michigan."
(Note: I know that Rodriguez WANTED to be a Michigan Man, and this is not intended to debate that issue either way. I'm merely expressing my thanks that under Hoke, it's completely a non-issue.)
<Sigh.>
For all of those in the "oh noes, Borges/Hoke are going to force Denard to stand stationary in the pocket running a pure pro-style Henne-esque offense," I hope that interviews like this calm you down.
Designed QB runs . . . check.
Encouraging Denard to scramble if the receivers aren't open . . . check.
4 WR sets . . . check.
More gun than Borges has ever run before . . . check.
Seems like Borges is open to modifying his offense to Denard's abundant talents, and to trying to develop Denard into a "next level" QB.
What's not to like.
There are legitimate concerns as to how Borges will utilize Denard's skills, and whether that will put us in the best position to win. I'd say that, as you do, everything he says points in the right direction. But it's still just talk right now. So if someone were to say "yes, but, we still don't know if this transition is going to work out," then I'd agree.
That said, I can't understand negging a bunch of encouraging, partially fear-allaying comments, though. The logic behind that is beyond me.
In the photos from practice, it looked like Denard's shoes were actually tied up...
Just a random comment. I'm probably WAY wrong, but it just looks like they're tied up.
"We're a downhill running team." Their scheme is geared to O-line getting off the ball and being aggressive. "We're in a 3-point stance and we're gonna do our best to move whoever's in front of us." It's different playing from the shotgun every snap.
Is that in reference to the past system or the new system?
I'm really excited to see the new offense. RR's offense didn't work against good defenses. If you don't believe me just look at the stats against the top 25.
Points vs top 25 teams
OSU-7
MSU-17
Wisconsin-28
Miss State-14
16.5 points a game vs top 25
I bet Hoke and Borges offense will beat that.
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